Abstract
Thermal spray coatings are comprised of millions of heated particles that are driven at high velocity to impact against a substrate; thereby building up to form a consolidated coating. Thus, investigating single solidified droplets contributes to fundamental understanding of coating evolution and their properties. In this study, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) studied the splat morphology of flame sprayed ethylene methacrylic acid (EMAA) with respect to the stand-off distance when deposited onto glass and mild steel substrates. A splat shape transition from a “splash” to a “disc shape” was observed. The morphology of EMAA droplets can be described as a ‘splash splat’ when sprayed onto mild steel at room temperature, whereas a 35 cm stand-off distance produced a disk-shaped splat when the polymer was deposited onto a glass substrate.
